Support isolated Playwright MCP browser instances (separate user-data-dir)

[Alavi1412]

Feature request

Please add an option to launch an isolated Playwright MCP browser instance when a default profile is already in use.

Problem

Currently, the MCP browser uses a fixed mcp-chrome profile. If that profile is already running (e.g., another MCP session or leftover process), the MCP tools error with:

Browser is already in use for ...\mcp-chrome, use --isolated to run multiple instances of the same browser

There is no exposed way to request --isolated or supply a distinct user data directory from the MCP client, which blocks automation in shared or multi-session environments.

Proposed solution

Add a parameter (e.g., isolated: true or userDataDir) to the MCP browser launch/connection so the client can:

• create a new temporary profile directory automatically, or
• specify a custom userDataDir.

Acceptance criteria

• MCP client can request a new isolated browser instance without terminating existing ones.
• The isolated instance runs independently of the default mcp-chrome profile.
• Backwards compatible: existing behavior remains the default when the parameter is not provided.

Why this matters

It enables concurrent or repeated MCP runs in CI and local workflows, avoiding manual cleanup or process termination.

[yury-s]

There is no exposed way to request --isolated or supply a distinct user data directory from the MCP client,

The client can specify custom root directory. The user-data-dir created by default will be unique for each unique client root dir. Would that work for you?

[Alavi1412]

Thanks. That was helpful.